Obesity Rates Jump in 28 States, Report Shows: More than Two-thirds of States Now Have Rates Above 25 Percent

June 29, 2010 by Amanda Gardner HealthDay/Bloomberg BusinessWeek

Americans are continuing to get fat, with obesity rates nudging upwards in 28 states over the past year, a new report shows."More than two-thirds of states now have adult obesity rates above 25 percent," Jeff Levi, executive director of the Trust for America's Health, said during a Tuesday news conference. "Back in 1991, not that long ago, not a single state had an obesity rate above 20 percent. There's been a dramatic change in a relatively short period."

"Obesity is one of the biggest public health crises in the country," Levi added. "Rising rates of obesity over past decades is one of the major factors behind skyrocketing health care costs in the U.S., one-quarter of which are related to obesity."